Rack for supporting and displaying wearing apparel



Oct. 14, 1947. sM 2,429,173 I RACK FOR SUPPORTING AND DISPLAYINGAAAAAAAAAAAA EL Filed June 24, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

WHMM 0 M. SMITH 2,429 73 RACK FOR SUPPORTING -AND DISPLAYING WEARINGAPPAREL Filed June 24, 1944' 2 Sheets-SheevZ Patented Oct. '14, 1947UNITED STATES" PATENT @FFICE RACKEOR SUPPORTINGAND DISPLAYING WEARINGAPPAREL Roland. L... Smith, Belmont; Mass... assignor to N-iiproductsCorporation, Gambridge, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationJune-24; 1944, Serial No. 541,919

3 Claims. (Cl. 211-59) My invention relatesto improvements in racks forsupporting and displaying wearing apparel such; forexampleasfour-in-handneckties, andit-has for'itsprimaryobjectto improve theconstruction of racks-of the class-referred to.

It is also-an object of the invention to provide a rack of the classdescribed Which will not onlysupport and display the apparel to goodadvantage but-which will also maintain the same.

distended andfre and clear' of wrinkles.

A third ob'ject of theinventionis to provide a rackof the-classdescribed which Will'support a plurality of articles of wearing" apparelin closely grouped relationship and in such mannerthat they are not only'heldin shape and displayed to goodadvantage but are also individually:accessible for removal.

A further object of the invention is to provide an enicientrackofthcharacter described which will be of simple andinexpensive.construction.

To these ends I have provided certain improvements in apparel racks; assetzforth in the following description, the severalnovel features.

Figure Lisa top..plan.viewsof"a necktie rack;-

emb'odying asecondform of the invention. Figure ,5:is :asectionon .line5-5 of Fig. 4-. Figure 6 is a side elevation of a necktie rack embodyinga third form of the invention.

Figure 7 is a top plan View, enlarged, of the lower blade-holding memberof the rack shown in Fig. 6, but with the blades of Fig. 6 removed.

Figure Sis a section on line 8--8 of Fig. '7 showing one of the bladesin position thereon.

Figure 9 is an elevation of the attachment plate, hereinafter described,forming part of the blade-holding member shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Figure10 is an elevation, partly broken away, of one of the blades of the rackshown in Fig. 6. The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1,2 and 3 inclusive comprises a bladeholding base member Illa in the formof an angular bracket including a perpendicular back wall formed withapertures for the reception of screws or nails by means of which saidmember is secured in position against a wall, door or other supportingfixture. At its top the back wall connects with a horizontal shelf l3'awhose top-portion is formed' with aplurality of relativelyparalleltransverse slots Ma which are preferablyparallel' with thevertical back wall of the base.

Into each slot M is fitted the lower end of an" elongate tie-holdingblade l5 which tapers in width from its lower end towardits upper endand which is of asize and-shape to fit'snugly within the larger end flapportion of an ordinary" four-in-hand necktie so as to maintain the samedistendedand freeand clear of wrinkles.

Each blade l5 is preferably made from fiatrustproof shape-retainingsheet material of a thickness to fit snugly within its slot Ma of shelfl3a so that while occupying said slot it is: supported in an upstandingposition by the side and bottom walls thereof as will be clearfrom-Figs.- 1' and 2. That is, the oppositely'disposed side Walls-ofeach slot Mahold the blade of said slotvertical asviewed'edgewise (Fig.1), while the engagement of the bottom wall of said slot with thelowerend of the blade at two pointsat oppositesides of thelongitudinal medialline of the bladenormally; holds the-latter" vertical as viewed sidewise(Fig. 2).

The horizontal shelf I3a is also formed upon its top with a longitudinalmedial groove 21 disposedbetween the rows Ma and'within this groove issecured, by means of cement or otherin thelower ends of the blades i5.strip22 serves to align the blades on the shelf;

said blades being constructed as shown in Fig. 10.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 comprises acircular base member Illb made upon its top with two concentric circularseries of alined radial blade-receiving slot sections Mb between whichseries is provided a circular blade-positioning key strip or tongue 22bthat is secured by means of cement or otherwise within a groove 2mformed in base member lb. The blades [5 (Fig. 10) provided with thisform of the invention are applied to the base in the same manner as inthe case of the blades of Fig. 2.

The base lllb is formed at itsmiddle with a vertical cylindrical holewithin which is journaled a trunnion 23 provided at the top of apedestal member 24 adapted to stand upright upon a floor, store counter,or other horizontal support and to support base member lIJb so that itcan be rotated thereon.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive,comprises a bracket base member lfic whose upper portion is semicircularas viewed in plan and whose back wall 30 is adapted to fit flatwiseagainst a fiat vertical supporting wall 21, means being provided uponsaid back wall by means of which the base member is removably fastenedto said wall 21.

The top of base member I is made with two semicircular series of alignedradial bladereceiving slot sections I40 and between each pair of slotsections is provided a vertical key in the form of a blade-positioningdowel 28 secured, by means of cement or otherwise, within a hole 29(Fig. 8) bored in the top of base member lllc. As shown, these dowelsare disposed in a semicircular series parallel with and between the twoseries of slot sections.

The lower slotted end of a blade l5 (Fig.

is slid into position within each pair of slot sections with its slot 23occupied by the dowel key 28 of sad pair as shown in Figs. 6 and 8 sothat a partial side view of each of the ties (not shown) is presented toview while at the same time the blades and ties are disposed in acompact group close to wall 21.

The means herein provided for removably fastening base member 100 towall 21 comprises a metal plate 3| (Figs. 8 and 9) fastened by screws 32within a recess provided upon the back wall 30 of the base member sothat its exposed face is flush with rear wall 30, said plate beingformed with apertures 33 to accommodate the screws 32 and also with apair of buttonhole slots 34 having their larger ends disposed lowermost.The wall 21 is provided with two vertically alined screws 35 whose headsare spaced slightly away from said wall, said screws being spaced apartthe same distance as are the button hole slots 34. It will therefore beclear that when base member I90 is placed against wall 2'! with thescrews 35 Within the enlargements of slots 34 and then slid downwardlythe base member is securely held in position against wall 2'1. Todisconnect the base member from wall 27 it is slid upwardly until it canbe shifted away from screws 35.

By means of a rack constructed as above described an individual maystore a plurality of ties in a compact group where they are readilyaccessible and conveniently displayed for selection, the blade or formon which each tie is mounted serving to hold its tie in fiat distendedcondition so as to have the same effect thereon as ironing. While I haveherein shown racks adapted to hold neckties, it will be obvious thatblades or forms of other designs may be substituted to adapt the racksto support stockings or other articles.

What I claim is:

1. A rack for supporting and displaying Wearing apparel, said rackcomprising a base memher and a plurality of fiat elongate forms eachconsisting of a single blade of sheet material adapted to be fittedtelescopically endwise into a tubular article of wearing apparel so asto maintain the same distended, said base member being made upon its topside with a row of form receiving slots disposed side by side into eachof which the lower end of one of said forms is removably fitted so thatthe latter is supported in an upstanding position by said base member,and each of said forms having its lower end provided with a longitudinalmedial slot that is open atone end, and means permanently and fixedlyconnected with said base member intermediate the opposite ends of theslots thereof for occupying the longitudinal medial slot of each form soas to engage the opposite sides only of said medial slot thereby to holdsaid form against lateral edgewise displacement in either directionrelatively to said base member and to maintain the several forms inalinement.

2. A rack of the character described constructed in accordance withclaim 1 and wherein said bas member is a bracket that is attached to avertically disposed supporting fixture.

3. A rack of the character described constructed in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the slots of said base member are arranged in a circularrow and wherein there is also provided a pedestal member upon which saidbase member is mounted for rotative adjustment on a vertical axis.

ROLAND L. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Marsh June 17, 1913

